Select to expand quoteMorningBird said..Sectorsteve said..
Appreciate the support. The last few weeks and especially the last week have been sleep deprived. My fingers are numb on right hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome maybe from cutting firewood. Need rest. Sailing past broken bay looking at the black cliffs ahead i realised i wasnt able to process basic things. Had to stop. Just using my great heavy anchor. Very peaceful. Theres a few available moorings but when here at easter they banged the heck out of my hull so chose anchore. (Thanks sir g its a great anchor!)
Scrape a few barnys off tomorrow am. Check my spark plugs.set up reefing lines grease traveller etc. Just a few minor things. Was kinda the point today to come to Pitt water but delirium said "you can keep going" we cooked dinner easily in flat sea. Good thing is we used no fuel from fort denison. Was slow though! Left mooring at 7am. Woodford bay
I'm with Southace, don't go to sea with a dirty hull. The boat is much easier to handle when clean, especially when you need it in strong winds, big seas, entering harbour, squeezing into tight spaces, making port before the weather closes in and crossing bars.
Scraping a few barnacles won't make an iota of difference. If you can get it all clean that's great, if you can't get a diver in.
A mob called Aquaman in Pittwater can get a diver onto it for a reasonable price. I have deleted their number but it can be googled.
I you can't afford a diver you might not be ready for a big passage.
If you can find a nice sandy spot with some clean water you can do it safely but in winter down south you might freeze if you don't have the right protection. Me thinking divers in Sydney harbor would be using dry suits or semi dry at least. And yes a few barnicals around the waterline you scrape of won't make much difference I don't bother with that other than cosmetic reasons while waiting for me or the diver!
For a diver in Pittwater I use Dave Pollock of Broken Bay Diving Services. 0404 129 414. Top bloke, very reasonable. $100 for a 34' yacht. Yes, he has his own wet suit too! 
Select to expand quoteGravy7 said..
For a diver in Pittwater I use Dave Pollock of Broken Bay Diving Services. 0404 129 414. Top bloke, very reasonable. $100 for a 34' yacht. Yes, he has his own wet suit too!
That would be money well spent if your heading north !
Select to expand quotesouthace said..MorningBird said..Sectorsteve said..
Appreciate the support. The last few weeks and especially the last week have been sleep deprived. My fingers are numb on right hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome maybe from cutting firewood. Need rest. Sailing past broken bay looking at the black cliffs ahead i realised i wasnt able to process basic things. Had to stop. Just using my great heavy anchor. Very peaceful. Theres a few available moorings but when here at easter they banged the heck out of my hull so chose anchore. (Thanks sir g its a great anchor!)
Scrape a few barnys off tomorrow am. Check my spark plugs.set up reefing lines grease traveller etc. Just a few minor things. Was kinda the point today to come to Pitt water but delirium said "you can keep going" we cooked dinner easily in flat sea. Good thing is we used no fuel from fort denison. Was slow though! Left mooring at 7am. Woodford bay
I'm with Southace, don't go to sea with a dirty hull. The boat is much easier to handle when clean, especially when you need it in strong winds, big seas, entering harbour, squeezing into tight spaces, making port before the weather closes in and crossing bars.
Scraping a few barnacles won't make an iota of difference. If you can get it all clean that's great, if you can't get a diver in.
A mob called Aquaman in Pittwater can get a diver onto it for a reasonable price. I have deleted their number but it can be googled.
I you can't afford a diver you might not be ready for a big passage.
If you can find a nice sandy spot with some clean water you can do it safely but in winter down south you might freeze if you don't have the right protection. Me thinking divers in Sydney harbor would be using dry suits or semi dry at least. And yes a few barnicals around the waterline you scrape of won't make much difference I don't bother with that other than cosmetic reasons while waiting for me or the diver!
Sydney water(19.1) temp is only a bit cooler than Perth (19.9) and I was giving mine a clean 2 days ago and wasn't cold at all. I had booties,hood jacket and long john all 5mm so 10 over torso. Mine wasn't too bad so only took 15 minutes or so with a power dive hooker. Plus it was only 5 weeks since it had been dived on before.
I do the hull myself no probs.
Going into hardstand qld.
How is it that not scaping barnacles makes no difference?
It works. And of course i can afford a diver. id never hire one cause diving the hull is easy, fun and enables 1st hand inspection of the hull. Diving hull is a must for me - there can come a day you might have to- not a diver within 100 miles. Money in your pocket wouldnt change a thing. Boating (to me) is about getting in the water. Its also not that cold. Ive got a summer wetsuit and its all I need
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
I do the hull myself no probs.
Going into hardstand qld.
How is it that not scaping barnacles makes no difference?
It works. And of course i can afford a diver. id never hire one cause diving the hull is easy, fun and enables 1st hand inspection of the hull. Diving hull is a must for me - there can come a day you might have to- not a diver within 100 miles. Money in your pocket wouldnt change a thing. Boating (to me) is about getting in the water. Its also not that cold. Ive got a summer wetsuit and its all I need
When you consider the surface area of the undersides a few barnacles is small fry. A layer of slime and growth over the whole hull creates a lot of friction. You need to get rid of that friction, especially when you meet the EAC further north.
A 25 ft boat is pretty easy to clean but you will need it clean if you are to make progress north. If you don't have the gear (scrubber, hookah or similar, a means of holding onto the hull while scrubbing) it will take a a fair bit of time.
A diver will do it in an hour or so and you will be on your way.
I've used this bloke in the Pittwater area. Quick, reliable, good job. Ken zero45zero964586
Select to expand quoteBushdog said..
I've used this bloke in the Pittwater area. Quick, reliable, good job. Ken zero45zero964586
I think you will find that Ken Noble has passed his business on to Dave Pollock, Bushdog. Same service, younger bones. 
Last time i did the whole thing in about 30 minutes. Mask. Snorkel, flippers. Its really no thing.
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
Last time i did the whole thing in about 30 minutes. Mask. Snorkel, flippers. Its really no thing.
No worries mate was just saying it should be done before passage making.
Great to see you are on your way Steve. Last time i dived on my hull with the scrubbing brush I was reminded to put ear plugs in when a little creepy crawly began to crawl into my ear. Got it out ok but they where all over my wet suit the little blighters!
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
Last time i did the whole thing in about 30 minutes. Mask. Snorkel, flippers. Its really no thing.
I think its quite important that you get in the water around the boat, Giving the hull a scrape and the prop a clean is a good exercise. It prepares you for suddenly having to get into the water which can put many people way out of their comfort zone and cheese them up. I bought a power dive and me and the missus use it every chance we get to go under the boat.
Couldn't agree more Jolene.
If you're used to getting under your boat snorkel or scuba, when you get a rope or half a kelp forest wrapped round the prop shaft, it will be no biggie.
Having recently scraped my boat (on a 10m regulator line) for the first time, I had to do some experimentation to learn the best method.
After trying various brushes, industrial Scotch pads, etc, I found the cheap plastic scrapers from Bunnings were the best.
Hoping the days of antifoul are over.
regards,
allan
Great decision steve.
I have voiced concerns to you previously. However you keep making decisions like this I am sure you will be fine.
Remember you are on holidays don't rush and push to make a time line you don't need to also your decisions are just affecting you alone they also effect the safety of your partner.
Well done keep safe and enjoy.
+1 for having a clean bum, makes a huge difference. The current at various times was about 1 knot. We generally stayed inside the 20m depth line, which on the motor was fairly easy. The northerly wind and current made it slow going at times, plus it really hit the fuel economy.
Left Coffs at 4am, got inside at Yamba not long after lunch. No wind all day, bar was flat as a pancake.
Woko, I need to read seabreeze BEFORE getting to the marina. Thanks for the offer tho.
Out again at 4 tomorrow morning for the big push to Southport.
Today didn't happen, no picture......
I am glad, the beer was tops too!
Make sure your shackles are wired and always drop your anchor with a trip-line!
Fair winds!
Select to expand quoteEC31 said..
+1 for having a clean bum, makes a huge difference. The current at various times was about 1 knot. We generally stayed inside the 20m depth line, which on the motor was fairly easy. The northerly wind and current made it slow going at times, plus it really hit the fuel economy.
Left Coffs at 4am, got inside at Yamba not long after lunch. No wind all day, bar was flat as a pancake.
Woko, I need to read seabreeze BEFORE getting to the marina. Thanks for the offer tho.
Out again at 4 tomorrow morning for the big push to Southport.
Today didn't happen, no picture......
It's an open ended offer, I guess Steve will be the next past here. Then it's the return voyages. On our summer run south I couldn't comprehend marina fuel price ! I know how nice it is to have someone with a vehicle in port, so don't be shy seabreezers.
Spent the last couple of day at Middle Percy and now sitting at Curlew island for the night. The weather could not be more perfect. Caught 6 Parrot and 2 cod this afternoon. Off to Mackay tomorrow as I have some business to attend to, then to the Whitsundays. The weather forecast for the next week is perfect except it will probably mean a bit of motor sailing, but the days and nights are now warm with lovely calm nights at anchor. Can not think of a better place to be at the moment.
Yellow brick tracker
my.yb.tl/jode7/#
Select to expand quoteDatawiz said..
Couldn't agree more Jolene.
If you're used to getting under your boat snorkel or scuba, when you get a rope or half a kelp forest wrapped round the prop shaft, it will be no biggie.
Having recently scraped my boat (on a 10m regulator line) for the first time, I had to do some experimentation to learn the best method.
After trying various brushes, industrial Scotch pads, etc, I found the cheap plastic scrapers from Bunnings were the best.
Hoping the days of antifoul are over.
regards,
allan
Hi Datawiz, it was my first go at it too with powerdive hooker. I started with a scrapper and in the end found that just rubbing the hull with my yellow rubber palmed garden gloves (bunnings) worked the best. Mine was only light slime mainly. I thought initially that I didn't have enough weights on because I kept rising and had to hang on with one hand all the time. Then once I found that the gloves worked so well, I was able to just swim on my back from one end of the boat to the other rubbing with my hands and my bouancy was perfect for the pressure needed to keep me in contact with the hull. Your mask needs to seal really well though or it fills with water when on your back. With the fin keel I was able to hold on to the anodes fixed in the middle on either side of it. My whole boat is aluminium so I have a lot of anodes.
While we're talking about cleaning under the water line an old salt put me onto using a concreters trowel, sounds a bit industrial but works great, protects your hand unlike a scraper and doesn't upset the anti foul as much as a brush. It works good for me 
Select to expand quotewoko said..
While we're talking about cleaning under the water line an old salt put me onto using a concreters trowel, sounds a bit industrial but works great, protects your hand unlike a scraper and doesn't upset the anti foul as much as a brush. It works good for me
Woko, that is what my crew uses and he cleans boats all the time. It works well on more advanced growth but for slime and light slime the gloves are great. If he does a boat on a monthly basis gloves are pretty much all he uses, as it is really fast. He can be a bit hard to understand sometimes as he is Spanish. I am sure he told me about the gloves some time ago but I didn't quite get it until now. Actually the trowel probably works better on fibreglass hulls than on mine because they would be smoother.
I'm way behind you guys, you're all on the water!
We lifted her today for anti fouling and to check what damage the whale strike did last year, we go back in Friday. The good news is aside from the leading edge of the keel looking like it's been sanded she looked great after her first 18 months.
another couple of weeks and I'll hope to see you guys out there.
Thanks two dogs for the good advice. Ive learned alot from you on here. I caught some long tom mackerel trawling yesterday. Straight on the coal bbq YUM.
At Lake maq near bridge. Lovely clear water. Yesterday humming along at 5 knots nor wester . Got alot of organising on boat done. Got more food than we have at home. Lotss dolphins and seals. Reallly beautiful. Super clear water here. Bum clean in morning. Kia kaha is going to be fast!
Select to expand quotewoko said..
While we're talking about cleaning under the water line an old salt put me onto using a concreters trowel, sounds a bit industrial but works great, protects your hand unlike a scraper and doesn't upset the anti foul as much as a brush. It works good for me
I found a metal scraper could easily gouge the gelcoat with its sharp corners, hence used the plastic scrapers instead.
Josusa, good point about the glove, but I had barnacles, mussels etc to deal with. I'll be able to use a glove in future - as long as I keep up the hull cleaning regime...
regards to all
alllan
Select to expand quoteJode5 said..
Spent the last couple of day at Middle Percy and now sitting at Curlew island for the night. The weather could not be more perfect. Caught 6 Parrot and 2 cod this afternoon. Off to Mackay tomorrow as I have some business to attend to, then to the Whitsundays. The weather forecast for the next week is perfect except it will probably mean a bit of motor sailing, but the days and nights are now warm with lovely calm nights at anchor. Can not think of a better place to be at the moment.
Yellow brick tracker
my.yb.tl/jode7/#
like the yellow brick tracker didnt realize you could leave a log with it very jealous working and winter series racing just doesn't match up
Select to expand quoteEC31 said..nswsailor said..
I'll be on board tomorrow [at Laurieton] EC31. I'll watch out for you. Bar was real flat today.
We were in early this morning at Camden Haven. Earlier than planned, so bar was flat but shallow. No problems though.
Wind was on the nose again last night, so another trip using the motor. Forecast is for a weak SW change tonight after midnight. We will be leaving about 10pm, should get to Coffs by lunch tomorrow.
Sorry NSWSailor, we crashed for most of the day today, so apologies if you came around and no-one responded.
Beautiful sunrise before Camden Haven this morning.
No worries EC as I was rained in all day and never made it down. Glad you enjoyed the Camden Haven.
See you on the way back.
PS late reply due to telstra outage 
Select to expand quoteToph said..
Well my run north has come to an end. Time to head west
Will be leaving TI and about 30 mins time for a jump across the gulf to Gove. See you all in a few days.
Keep safe everyone.
How was the jump across the gulf Toph ?
It was interesting Southace.
Left TI at 1:30 and made 9.5 kts using the current. Was looking promising.
Later that evening, the wind picked up to 25kts which was further south then I expected. At 10pm we lost our autopilot, 2 GPS,s and our wind instruments. Wife was sick for the first 24 hours.
I got the AP and wind instruments working by midday the next day, so much happier in the SV Mikado camp. GPS issue still to be rectified. However that night and the following day was a very plesant sail.
Josusa, I am aiming to be in Fremantle (actually we will be going to Mandurah at this stage) by the last week of October. Maybe just in time for another WA Seabreezers catch up at Rottnest.
Select to expand quotejosusa said..southace said..MorningBird said..Sectorsteve said..
Appreciate the support. The last few weeks and especially the last week have been sleep deprived. My fingers are numb on right hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome maybe from cutting firewood. Need rest. Sailing past broken bay looking at the black cliffs ahead i realised i wasnt able to process basic things. Had to stop. Just using my great heavy anchor. Very peaceful. Theres a few available moorings but when here at easter they banged the heck out of my hull so chose anchore. (Thanks sir g its a great anchor!)
Scrape a few barnys off tomorrow am. Check my spark plugs.set up reefing lines grease traveller etc. Just a few minor things. Was kinda the point today to come to Pitt water but delirium said "you can keep going" we cooked dinner easily in flat sea. Good thing is we used no fuel from fort denison. Was slow though! Left mooring at 7am. Woodford bay
I'm with Southace, don't go to sea with a dirty hull. The boat is much easier to handle when clean, especially when you need it in strong winds, big seas, entering harbour, squeezing into tight spaces, making port before the weather closes in and crossing bars.
Scraping a few barnacles won't make an iota of difference. If you can get it all clean that's great, if you can't get a diver in.
A mob called Aquaman in Pittwater can get a diver onto it for a reasonable price. I have deleted their number but it can be googled.
I you can't afford a diver you might not be ready for a big passage.
If you can find a nice sandy spot with some clean water you can do it safely but in winter down south you might freeze if you don't have the right protection. Me thinking divers in Sydney harbor would be using dry suits or semi dry at least. And yes a few barnicals around the waterline you scrape of won't make much difference I don't bother with that other than cosmetic reasons while waiting for me or the diver!
Sydney water(19.1) temp is only a bit cooler than Perth (19.9) and I was giving mine a clean 2 days ago and wasn't cold at all. I had booties,hood jacket and long john all 5mm so 10 over torso. Mine wasn't too bad so only took 15 minutes or so with a power dive hooker. Plus it was only 5 weeks since it had been dived on before.
19 is positively balmy. Adelaide water temp is 14 degrees
Select to expand quotedralyagmas said..josusa said..southace said..MorningBird said..Sectorsteve said..
Appreciate the support. The last few weeks and especially the last week have been sleep deprived. My fingers are numb on right hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome maybe from cutting firewood. Need rest. Sailing past broken bay looking at the black cliffs ahead i realised i wasnt able to process basic things. Had to stop. Just using my great heavy anchor. Very peaceful. Theres a few available moorings but when here at easter they banged the heck out of my hull so chose anchore. (Thanks sir g its a great anchor!)
Scrape a few barnys off tomorrow am. Check my spark plugs.set up reefing lines grease traveller etc. Just a few minor things. Was kinda the point today to come to Pitt water but delirium said "you can keep going" we cooked dinner easily in flat sea. Good thing is we used no fuel from fort denison. Was slow though! Left mooring at 7am. Woodford bay
I'm with Southace, don't go to sea with a dirty hull. The boat is much easier to handle when clean, especially when you need it in strong winds, big seas, entering harbour, squeezing into tight spaces, making port before the weather closes in and crossing bars.
Scraping a few barnacles won't make an iota of difference. If you can get it all clean that's great, if you can't get a diver in.
A mob called Aquaman in Pittwater can get a diver onto it for a reasonable price. I have deleted their number but it can be googled.
I you can't afford a diver you might not be ready for a big passage.
If you can find a nice sandy spot with some clean water you can do it safely but in winter down south you might freeze if you don't have the right protection. Me thinking divers in Sydney harbor would be using dry suits or semi dry at least. And yes a few barnicals around the waterline you scrape of won't make much difference I don't bother with that other than cosmetic reasons while waiting for me or the diver!
Sydney water(19.1) temp is only a bit cooler than Perth (19.9) and I was giving mine a clean 2 days ago and wasn't cold at all. I had booties,hood jacket and long john all 5mm so 10 over torso. Mine wasn't too bad so only took 15 minutes or so with a power dive hooker. Plus it was only 5 weeks since it had been dived on before.
19 is positively balmy. Adelaide water temp is 14 degrees
Spent about 20 mins in 14degees water in Esperance. I was wearing a surfing steamer 3-2mm and was shocked at my state of near hyperthermia after. Still almost have nightmares. Teeth chattered for 3 hrs.
